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Intro, and Brisket Question

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Teedoff
Teedoff Posts: 65
in EggHead Forum
First off, I have been lurking here ever since I got a large egg as a gift from my parents in March and have tried a lot of methods and recipes from here. You guys have been a great resource for me since I was never an accomplished griller before I began egging and I am by no means an expert but I have gotten so much better results in a short time thanks to this forum. Which is why I turn here for help now. I am hosting a Christmas party for my shift in a couple of weeks and some of the guys want me to cook a brisket. I have read every post I can find here about cooking brisket and since this will be the first I've cooked, I will just trim it, coat it with mustard and bad Byron's and cook it at 275 dome temp until it reaches about 190 IT and start checking for tenderness. What is the thought on removing the point for burnt ends, worth it or not? And if not with the point still on does that change the carving method? I haven't picked up the brisket yet so I don't know what size it will be so can anyone tell me what the largest I can expect to fit on a large? Thanks for any input.
Decatur, AL
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,961
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    although it can certainly be done well, I am in the "firmly against cooking your first brisket for a crowd" camp. There are so many variables that if it does not drive you completely nuts during the cook, you may not be pleased with the outcome anyway.

    If I can't talk you out of it then i'll say this-

    Your technique is fine. I don't do burnt ends but many guys do and they are delicious. Your call there. If you leave the point in tact, you do slice it differently. There are a few camps but I go 1 of 2 ways. I normally cut the flat off where it joins the point (somewhere 2/3 toward the fat end- it will be obvious where they are joined once cooked). I then slice the flat across the grain from the fat end down to the skinny. When it starts to get dry, I chop that up and sauce it for sandwiches.

    I then cut the point in half from the vantage point of if you were looking at the brisket longways when whole. I slice that from the middle outward. This way you get bark all the way around every bite which is what Im after.

    You can also separate the flat and point and slice against the grain. When I do this, I turn the point upside down so I can see the grain. 



    Method 1)

    Watch this if you are not offended by F-bombs and other salty language:

    I don't cook like he does but he slices it right. The video is funny unless you don't like bad language. Then it's probably not funny at all


    looks like I cleared all my old photos of method 2 but you just slide a knife through the fat layer that runs between the flat and point. You can clearly see the grain of the flat- slice against it. the point has several grains so I flip it upside down and work around it that way always slicing against the grain.

    Anyhow- best advice i could give you is to relax. do a few butts (which are much more forgiving and totally awesome) and have a good time with your friends. Briskets have a way of ruining parties.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • Teedoff
    Teedoff Posts: 65
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    Cen-Tex, thanks for the reply. That was exactly what I was looking for. I tried to talk them out of brisket but they insisted. The wife is cooking a turkey in the oven for a backup just in case so I'm not going to ruin the party if the brisket is a little off. The vid was helpful and I'm a 19 year police veteran so nothing really offends me anymore.
    Decatur, AL
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  • New2Q
    New2Q Posts: 171
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    Cen-Tex is certainly the Brisket Man so you can't go wrong if you follow his advice.

    I will say that I cooked a brisket for a company Thanksgiving pot-luck lunch a few weeks ago and everybody loved it.  I started with a 17 1/2 lbs. USDA Choice brisket and trimmed it according to the Aaron Franklin YouTube brisket video.  All I used for the rub was kosher salt and pepper in a 50/50 mix. I ended up chopping about 4 inches of the flat off the end of the brisket so it would fit in my large egg.  A drip pan was placed on top of the platesetter (with 4 pieces of balled-up foil under the drip pan keeping it off the platesetter) and water was added to the drip pan.  250 grid temp controlled by a Stoker.  That turned out to be 270 dome temp at the beginning down to about 255-260 dome temp at the end of the 11 hour cook.  Internal temp on the brisket varied from 187 to 195 depending on where I checked and was moist and tender all the way through.
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  • New2Q
    New2Q Posts: 171
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    Oh yeah, one more thing.  I used white oak - 9 chunks - scattered throughout the lump for my smoke.
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  • Teedoff
    Teedoff Posts: 65
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    I wasn't sure what I would use for smoke, but it seems like oak is the favorite for brisket so I will probably go with it.
    Decatur, AL
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  • QDude
    QDude Posts: 1,052
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    I don't see the need for water in the drip pan. Not needed with the BGE.

    Northern Colorado Egghead since 2012.

    XL BGE and a KBQ.

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  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
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    Welcome. Good luck
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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  • sumoconnell
    sumoconnell Posts: 1,932
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    Welcome - please use oak or I'm pretty sure cen tex will stop giving advice :)

    Party is in a couple weeks? You can do 14 briskets between now and then. Man up!

    I like big butts and I cannot lie. That's a great suggestion. Other brothers can't deny. Honda/Fonda/Anaconda, etc.

    Ps, vodka tonic.
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Austin, Texas.  I'm the guy holding a beer.
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  • Texansurf
    Texansurf Posts: 507
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    I prefer live oak...as opposed to red, burr or others. Not all oak is the same. I also cook at 250. DONT PANIC, if you don't think it's going to be great, drink more.
    Corpus Christi, Texas.  LBGE x 2, Weber Smoky Joe, and Aussie Walk-About
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  • Teedoff
    Teedoff Posts: 65
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    I could, but that nagging thing called work keeps interfering with my egging. And I am more of a Glenlivet fan.
    Decatur, AL
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,961
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    sumo- well said. I would do a test brisket this weekend for sure. What's the worst that could happen? That you have great sandwiches for work for a week?

    texansurf- you are correct. Anything in the white oak family is preferred. We traditionally use post oak which is a live oak in the white oak family. Fortunately we get post oak when we buy fire wood so I split a few logs up and use that. It's been seasoned 12-18 months when I get it so it's ready to go.

    You can use other woods, but if you want the real deal, post oak (or white oak) is the deal
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • Teedoff
    Teedoff Posts: 65
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    Test brisket... You guys are entirely too reasonable around here. Now I have to go find some poor dead animal to experiment on.
    Decatur, AL
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  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
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    Welcome and good luck. I'm sure you'll do fine. Just remember to post some pics of your cook and end results.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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  • Shiff
    Shiff Posts: 1,835
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    Good luck on your brisket. You asked about size.  I've cooked an 18 pound packer on my large BGE but I had to use a rib rack and drape the brisket over it until it shrank a bit so I could lie it flat.
    Large BGE
    Barry, Lancaster, PA
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,961
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    you can just "accordion" the big ones until they fit. They will shrink down in a few hours. just smoosh them all together until it fits

    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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